Pressure pump balancing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11486385-B2
Application number	US-201616322024-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2016
Priority date	Sep 15, 2016
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

A system may include multiple strain gauges and multiple position sensors positioned on multiple pressure pumps. The strain gauges may measure strain in chambers of the pressure pumps. The position sensors may measure positions of rotating members of the pressure pumps. One or more computing devices may be communicatively couplable to the strain gauges and the position sensors to determine an adjustment to a flow rate of fluid through at least one pump using a strain measurement and a position measurement for the at least one pump such that a timing of changes in composition of the fluid delivered to into a first manifold at an input for the pressure pumps matches the timing of the changes in composition of the fluid delivered from a second manifold at an output for the pressure pumps.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a plurality of strain gauges positioned on a plurality of pressure pumps to measure strain in chambers of the plurality of pressure pumps;
a plurality of position sensors positioned on the plurality of pressure pumps to measure positions of rotating members of the plurality of pressure pumps; and
one or more computing devices communicatively couplable to the plurality of strain gauges and the plurality of position sensors, the one or more computing devices including one or more processing devices and one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums comprising instructions that are executable by the one or more processing devices for causing the one or more processing devices to:
determine an actual flow rate of fluid through at least one pump of the plurality of pressure pumps by:
determining a transition of a plunger during a pump stroke in a chamber of the at least one pump using a position signal generated by a position sensor of the plurality of position sensors, the position signal corresponding to the position of a respective rotating member in the at least one pump;
determining actuation points of a valve in the chamber by identifying at least two discontinuities in a strain signal generated by a strain gauge of the plurality of strain gauges subsequent to a loading or unloading of the strain in the chamber during the pump stroke; and
determining a chamber flow rate of fluid through the valve based on the determined actuation points and the transition of the plunger; and

determine an adjustment to the actual flow rate of fluid through the at least one pump of the plurality of pressure pumps, wherein the adjustment is configured such that a timing of changes in composition of the fluid delivered to a first manifold at an input for the plurality of pressure pumps matches the timing of the changes in composition of the fluid delivered from an output for the plurality of pressure pumps.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processing devices to cause the one or more processing devices to determine the adjustment to the flow rate of the fluid through the at least one pump by:
receiving a total flow rate of the fluid into the first manifold at an inlet to the plurality of pressure pumps; and
based on the total flow rate, determining an adjusted flow rate for the at least one pump that causes the timing of the changes in the composition of the fluid delivered out of a second manifold to match timing of the changes in the composition of the fluid delivered into the inlet.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the total flow rate is a first total flow rate, wherein the at least one pump includes a first pump, and wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processing devices to cause the one or more processing device to determine the adjusted flow rate for the first pump by:
identifying a first rate for a first flow of the respective fluid through a first flow path extending from a first common point in the first manifold, through a second pump of the plurality of pressure pumps, and to a second common point in the second manifold;
determining a first transit time for the first flow of the respective fluid through the first flow path;
determining a second rate for a second flow of the respective fluid between the first common point and the second common point, wherein a second transit time of the second flow of the respective fluid through a second flow path extending from the first common point, through the first pump, and to the second common point is equal to the first transit time; and
determining an adjusted second rate by adjusting the second rate by a ratio of the first total flow rate into the first manifold to a summed flow rate including the first rate and the second rate.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processing devices to cause the one or more processing devices to determine the first transit time by determining a first fluid volume within the first flow path and dividing the first fluid volume by the first rate.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processing devices for causing the one or more processing devices to:
determine the transition of the plunger by correlating the position of the respective rotating member with an expression representing a mechanical correlation of the plunger to the respective rotating member during a pump cycle of the at least one pump.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processing devices for causing the one or more processing devices to:
determine the chamber flow rate by determining a volume of the respective fluid through the valve in response to the transition of the plunger during an open period of the valve.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more computing devices includes:
a first set of pump-computing devices communicatively couplable to the plurality of pressure pumps to control flow rates for each pump of the plurality of pressure pumps;
a blender-computing device communicatively couplable to a blender to control a concentration of proppant mixed into the fluid entering the first manifold from the blender; and
a controller device communicatively coupled to the first set of pump-computing devices and the blender-computing device to transmit control signals corresponding to instructions for controlling the flow rates and the concentration of proppant.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processing devices to cause the one or more processing devices to:
determine a first volume of fluid flowing from an intake manifold into the chamber between an opening of a suction valve and a closing of the suction valve;
determine a second volume of fluid flowing back from the chamber into the intake manifold to close the suction valve; and
determine a volume of fluid in the chamber by subtracting the second volume from the first volume.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processing devices to cause the one or more processing devices to:
determine a first position of the plunger when the suction valve closed;
determine a second position of the plunger when the suction valve opened;
determine a change in a plunger position by subtracting the first position from the second position; and
determine the actual flow rate of the fluid through the chamber based on the volume of fluid in the chamber and the change in plunger position.

10. A method, comprising:
determining, by one or more processing devices, an actual flow rate of a fluid through at least one pump among a plurality of pressure pumps by:
determining a transition of a plunger in the at least one pump during a pump stroke in a chamber of the at least one pump using a position signal generated by a position sensor among a plurality of position sensors coupled to the plurality of pressure pumps, the position signal corresponding to a position of a respective rotating member in the at least one pump;
determining actuation points of a valve in the chamber by identifying at least two discontinuities in a strain signal generated by a strain gauge subsequent to a loading or unloading of strain in the chamber of the at least one pump during the pump stroke, wherein the strain gauge is part of a plurality of strain gauges coupled to the plurality of pressure pumps and the strain signal corresponds to strain in the chamber

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Beisel Joseph A
• Stephenson Stanley V

Classifications

• F04B2201/1208

  Angular position of the shaft · CPC title

• F04B9/045

  the means being eccentrics · CPC title

• F04B47/02

  the driving mechanisms being situated at ground level (F04B47/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F04B1/053 Primary

  with actuating or actuated elements at the inner ends of the cylinders · CPC title

• F04B49/065 Primary

  and making use of computers · CPC title